KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Coming off a 2-1 victory against Grand Canyon on Sunday afternoon, the UMKC men’s soccer team will travel to California to face off with California Baptist (10/26) and CSU Bakersfield (10/28) in their final road trip of the 2018 season.

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For fans wanting to follow the Roos’ on the road next week, in-game updates will be provided through the team’s Twitter account. Each game will be video streamed live through the WAC Digital Network.

Completing a 1-1 record for WAC play last week, head coach Rick Benben’s squad looks to implement the same strategies used in Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Grand Canyon when Friday evening arrives in Riverside, Calif. It has been a down year for the Roos as they fight for their playoff lives. As of today, UMKC sits outside the top six teams for the WAC Tournament at the end of the season. The Roos look to capture their third and fourth wins in conference play as they attempt to vault their way back into WAC Tournament standings this weekend.

Highlighting the offense from the previous weekend, UMKC delivered flashes of a proficient offensive unit during Sunday’s match against the Lopes. Senior midfielder Henry Ramirez (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and freshman midfielder David Ray-Campoy (Barcelona, Spain) helped lead the Roos offensive unit to their best outing of 2018. Both midfielders played significant roles in the win on Sunday, scoring both goals in the second period to lead UMKC to their first comeback victory of the 2018 campaign. There were others who contributed to the comeback victory as junior defender Antoine Precheur (Paris, France) and Pantelis Popgeorgiev (Budapest, Hungary) provided great touch passes near the box to help set up the winning goals.

It has been a productive year for Precheur as he leads the team in goals scored (2) and points attributed (5) on the season for the Roos. Precheur will look to use his momentum to get the Roos into playoffs come November.

Looking down the field at last line of defense, junior goalkeeper Filippo Errico (Verona, Italy) has provided outstanding performances all season for the Roos. Through 13 games played, Errico has accumulated 48 saves, an average of 1.89 goals allowed per game and a save percentage of .667. With over 1000 minutes played for UMKC this season, the junior goalkeeper has only allowed 24 goals with one shutout.

About the Lancers

It has been an up and down season for the 2018 Lancers squad as the team has totaled a 7-8-1 record and is currently on a one-game losing streak. Even with an average record, the Lancers have been attacking goalies all season with the help of sophomore forward Preston Judd and junior midfielder Sebastian Wiesbock. Judd, a Henderson, Nevada native, leads California Baptist in all categories on the offensive side in 2018. Diving deeper into the stat book, Judd has correlated 13 goals, two assists and 28 points on 48 shots for the Lancers this season. In regards to individual offensive leaders in the WAC, Judd ranks first in the conference in goals and points.

Running alongside Judd, Wiesbock has delivered solid performances for the Lancers in 2018, netting two goals, five assists and nine points for California Baptist. Both Judd and Wiesbock have combined with four game-winning goals, making them players to watch out for when Friday evening comes around and if the game is close coming down the stretch.

Defensively, the Lancers have relied on goalkeeper Albert Escuin to keep them afloat in WAC play this season. Referring to the native out of Valencia, Spain, Escuin has allowed 15 goals, with1.34 goals allowed per game and 43 saves for the Lancers. With a 5-4-1 record in his starts for California Baptist, Escuin will look to shut down the Roos to maintain an above .500 record.

About the Runners

Coming into 2018, the Runners were looking to set the tone for everyone in the WAC conference this year. It has been a down year for the CSU Bakersfield as the team has tallied a 4-10-1 mark on the season and are looking to finish strong with just three games left to go in conference play.

The offensive unit has been a plus for a team whose record says otherwise. Junior forward Ryan Goldsmith and sophomore forward Tom Shepherd have been sparkplugs for a unit that ranks seventh in the conference with 19 goals thus far. Goldsmith has been a huge contributor to the 19 goals CSU Bakersfield has accumulated in 2018. With five goals on the season, Goldsmith ranks sixth in the conference, while attributing two assists and 12 points for the Lancers.

Shepherd has slowed down as of late as he has attributed one goal in the Lancers last eight games. However, the Cheshire, England native has assisted on three goals and tallied nine points for CSU Bakersfield, making him a threat all over the field this weekend for the Roos.

Heading down to the defensive unit for the Lancers, goalkeepers Detre Bell and Rodrigo Sarmiento have split starts all season. In seven games for Bell and nine games for Sarmiento, Bell has allowed 2.12 goals per game and Sarmiento has allowed only 1.45 goals per game. Both of the players have combined for 65 saves and four shutouts on the year. Whichever one UMKC faces this Sunday, it will be a test to score more than what both of the goalkeepers have averaged for the 2018 campaign.

Up Next

When the match is over in Bakersfield, Calif., the Roos will return home for the final game of the 2018 season to go up against Houston Baptist on Saturday, Nov. 3rd at 6 p.m. CT.

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